Free If She Dares (Contemporary Romance) by Tanya Michaels Page B

sighed dreamily. “There are
two
of them.”
    “Yes, but his twin is head over heels for my bestie,” Meg said. “I tried to talk them into a double wedding, but Dani doesn’t share my bridal fever. They’ll probably elope one of these days.”
    “What about
your
love life?” Wren asked once her boss returned to the back office. “Any sordid details to share from last night?”
    “Nothing sordid happened! He only stopped by to talk, and— Oh. You meant that blind date Mom coerced me into, didn’t you?”
    “The better question is, who did you mean? Forget blind-date guy, and give me the real scoop.” Wren snapped her fingers. “It’s that hot new neighbor of yours, isn’t it? How late did he drop by? How long did y’all
talk
?”
    Riley rolled her eyes. “I don’t appreciate the air quotes. It was a couple of minutes of casual conversation, nothing more.” Yet she couldn’t help the warm, tingly feeling that spread through her every time she remembered that last look he’d given her. “I’m pretty sure Meg’s not paying you to stand around interrogating me. So let’s discuss size selection. There’s a robe over here I love.”
    “On it.” Wren grinned slyly. “After all, we want to make sure you look your best for any unexpected late-night
talks
.”
    * * *
    J ACK HAD BEEN meaning to return the shelving unit all week; it didn’t fit in the new closet the way he’d hoped. Now that he’d returned it to the home-goods store at one end of the outdoor mall, he found he was in no hurry to return to his truck. The sun felt so good he was content to walk around a little longer. Maybe he’d grab lunch at one of the restaurants in the shopping complex and eat on an outdoor patio. Just up ahead, there were tables in a gated courtyard, but as he got closer, he realized it was a frozen yogurt place. Not exactly what he had in mind for lunch.
    Two adults and two young children sat at one of the tables—the perfect picture of a family outing, right down to the dog on the leash. Jack found himself grinning at the dog. With its oddly flat face and ears that looked three sizes too big, it was so ugly it was cute.
    The thought took him completely by surprise. Since when did he think of dogs as
cute
? Mostly, he just tried to avoid them.
    Must be Riley’s influence. Whenever she mentioned Mags, affection lit her entire face. She—
    Speak of the devilishly sexy neighbor
. Up ahead of him, a familiar figure exited a store onto the sidewalk. “Riley?” As the word left his mouth, he second-guessed himself, wondering if he’d only mistaken the blonde for Riley because he’d been thinking about her. After all, the brightly colored outfit was out of character.
    But then she turned, the surprise in her gaze immediately giving way to a pleased smile. “Jack. Long time, no see,” she joked.
    “What are you up to today?” Maybe she’d like to join him for lunch.
    “Oh, I—” She cut her eyes back in the direction of the store she’d left, and her cheeks went as rosy as the pink bag in her hand.
    As he took in the silver logo, he belatedly realized she’d been lingerie shopping. Riley in lingerie. All the blood in his brain went south. “Dare you to show me what’s in the bag.” The impulsive words tumbled out before he had a chance to consider if they were wise.
    She pursed her lips, studying him. “All right,” she agreed in a low voice. “But not here.” She nodded toward a shaded corner with benches and a decorative waterfall, and he followed.
    He would have followed her to the Alabama state line.
    Running a finger over the edge of her bag, she peeked up at him through her lashes. “Before I show you what’s in here, you have to promise it won’t lower your opinion of me. I mean, what if I bought a leather thong or something?”
    The mental image damn near sent him into cardiac arrest.
Then I’ll die a happy man
. “I promise. No judgment.”
    “All right, then. I went a little crazy and